Mmmm. Mulberries. Great-thing-about-living-in-the-country #28: wild berries. My favorite are the mulberries. We've got several really good mulberry trees at the park. I don't know if they are native to the area or if they were planted by the early homesteaders, but whatever the case they are big and lovely and bursting with berries.
We all went down to pick mulberries yesterday afternoon. Owen got bored with picking pretty quickly and decided to climb trees instead. Graham wasn't interested in picking until he realized how good they tasted. Then he picked a lot, only somehow none of them ended up in the buckets. Benjamin stole berries from our buckets for awhile and then went off exploring the woods with his brothers.
Mulberries taste something between a red grape and a raspberry. Only sweeter. And they are packed with juice. Dark, purple juice.
I made the boys pose with their purple fingers. Fortunately it doesn't stain. We picked about five quarts of berries, which made eleven half-pints of mulberry jam. This is my favoritest of jams, and although I often give a jar of jam as a small gift at housewarmings or holidays, I rarely part with one of these. Remember how Golem cherished and protected his 'precious' in Tolkien's books? Imagine me instead, with my jars of mulberry jam and you may begin to understand the dynamics involved.
Mmmmmmm. Mulberries.
5 comments:
Say Jo, do you know if these can be propagated? We have some at work as landscape plants and I would love to have a few at home. They have been hard to find at nurseries and free is definitely me price. Any ideas on how to propagate a few?
Sooooooo.....you ARE coming over at the end of this month and I'm sure you will feel obliged to bring a hostess gift....hmmmmm....my precious....! Just bring a piece of barn board for you-know-what and I'll be happy!!!
Rick, I have no idea how to propagate mulberries. None at all. There are many trees around the park that must have been spread by birds.
I found this info online:
http://mulberrytrees.co.uk/propagation/
I also found some 1'-2' trees online that cost $8 each at Willis Orchard Co.
Whatever you do, it will be worth the effort! When they start to bear fruit, at least.
Hey Josie,
Your blog is so much fun to read...you're a very talented writer. You'd be great for an agriculture magazine.
So I wonder what mulberries taste like. We Llllooooove yooouuuuu! Wanna trade?
Hope and Caleb
Hi Hope!
Yes -- Let's trade! Your blueberry/allspice jam for some of my mulberry jam. I made it with honey too! Simon was afraid that the honey would overpower the berry taste, but it doesn't. That reminds me, gotta go to the apiary and get another jug of honey... And thanks for the nice words, glad you are enjoying the blog!
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